Tails of a Copy Cat
by Nakira.Taisho
Summary: I no longer use this site, see my profile for links to my rewritten works.
1. Three Witches

**Prologue: Three Witches…Souls combining?**

"Hey, Renka! Come over here and check this out!" I laugh and run over to Sora.

"What's up?"

"I just figured out how to transform into a knife! Your dad showed me!" I grin and cross my arms.

"Okay. Show me." Sora nods and glows a moment before turning into a small knife. "Cool!" I catch her and examine the blade. "Perfect balance…just like Dad! You really are a Copycat tool!"

"Are you sure about those two?"

"Their souls seem strong enough…"

"Yes…they'll do quite nicely." I flinch. Witches. Three of them.

"Renka…"

"I know…Mom and Dad are doing a job…we're going to have to run." I look around and spot the alley. Perfect! I break into a run. "Sora, change…"

"Right!" The knife in my hand vanishes and is replaced with sharp cat claws. A tail appears behind me and I feel ears pop onto my head. I love this form of hers…heightened senses, a flexible tail that grows to whatever length required, and claws that are sharper and harder than diamonds.

I skid to a halt at the end of the alley, cornered by the three witches.

"Come be part of our magic…"

"We won't hurt you…much…" I whirl to look at all three of them. We're dead…I look up to find an escape route, but there isn't one. No way out. They must be concealing their magic…otherwise there would be others here already. That's sad…I'm a young weapon master and I'm already about to die at the hands of witches that aren't even using their true power.

"Renka…we have to fight back…" I shake my head.

"Against three witches….neither of us would survive." I drop my hands and relax. One of the witches grabs me.

"Renka! I can't do anything without your help!" I sigh.

"They won't kill us." I break out into a grin. "But I'll kill them!" All three witches step back and I laugh hysterically. "But not today…no…they'll teach me their magic and then I'll take their souls…"

* * *

><p>"You're crazy…you heard them talking about what would happen when we resonate next time!" I sigh.<p>

"Hey…my blood's always been black…have you ever wondered why that is? Why I bleed black and you bleed red when we're cousins? Mom and Dad bleed red too…but I've always bled black…"

"You're talking crazy again…we need to think about this seriously! Both of us could die if we resonate again!" I sigh again.

"You're right…we could…but we won't…neither of us will die…just the witches." I clench my fists and grin. "Today's the day…they've taught us their magic and given us strength…but they're no longer meaningful…and eventually they'd be killed by a weapon and master…I'm just speeding the process…" Sora shakes my shoulders.

"Are you insane? There's no way in hell we can take on three witches without resonating!" I laugh hysterically.

"Of course! That's why we'll do it! I'm ready to get home…and this is the day."

"Are you ready for this? It's gonna be fun!" Sora sighs beside me and glows a moment.

"The only reason I'm going along with this is because I trust you. Even if I lose my life, I'll do what you ask." I grin and curl my hands, claws appearing along with a tail and ears.

"No time like the present…" I face the three witches and laugh hysterically.

"Soul Resonance!" Sora and I yell at the same time and I feel our souls link.

'_This is bad…I don't know whether my soul is being consumed or mine is trying to consume Renka's…'_ I close my eyes, concentrating on the link to strengthen the resonance.

"Beautiful! Their souls are battling for dominance!" I frown, concentrating. I can't listen to anything outside of my mind.

* * *

><p>"Renka…where is this place?"<p>

"I don't know…but there's only one way we can both survive this."

"What is that?" I grin.

"I absorb you."

"What? That's not me surviving!" I sigh.

"I'm not talking about consuming your soul! Basically, your soul will become part of my soul, but you'll still be you…in the sense that your soul will be intact. As it is, because of the way your original weapon form is, your body won't exist anymore…"

"Will you be able to use my powers then?" I nod.

"Most likely…" Sora nods once.

"Then okay. As I said. I trust you…even if I don't survive…if you can use my powers and protect yourself, that's fine." I smile and take her hand.

"Then…I'll do it."

* * *

><p>"Now…I'll be taking your souls…" I grin and crouch, curling my hands and tilting my head.<p>

"You won't be able to fight us…"

"Much less take our souls." I laugh hysterically and run at one of them. She screeches, but I cut her in half before she can use a spell against me.

"Today is the day…I told you I'd take your souls…" I turn to the second witch and switch weapon types. "Mode switch…Fae Blade." I wrap my hand around the long black sword that appears in my hand and slice the witch in front of me in half.

I turn and stretch my grin. "Your turn…" She steps back, lifting her hands.

"Look…" I laugh and spin the blade in my hand.

"Time to die." I throw my head back, laughing. "Tick tock…time to eat." I swing the blade, cutting through the final witch. The blade disappears and I grab the three floating souls. "Thanks for the meal." I eat the souls and sigh, patting my stomach.

I look around after a moment, immediately sensing that there are more witches. I frown and then realize that there aren't any witches around. _'Sora?'_ No response.

I sigh and concentrate. The sense of more witches being here is coming from me…I think.

* * *

><p>The black expanse that is the soul wavelengths of the area around me engulfs me and I have to concentrate not to lose myself. There's only one soul in the area…mine. But now it's a lot bigger than it was before…I touch the mass in front of me.<p>

"Sora?" The chaotic mess that is the plane of my soul appears in front of me and I look around. The three witches are here, along with a limp form on the ground. "Sora!" I run over and touch her.

She doesn't respond. I look up and see the witches fade. "I'm sorry, Sora…" I stand and brush my hands. "Well. If I thought there were more witches in the room when it was just my soul gaining the powers of those three, then I need to figure out a way to use Soul Protect."

I clap my hands together, thinking of something. I had been able to use a spell after it was used on me before. So maybe having absorbed the souls of those witches, I'll be able to use all of their spells and abilities? I concentrate and get back to the black space, looking at the large, dark blue ball that is my soul.

I touch the sphere and close my eyes. "Soul Protect…" The strength of my soul lightens and I open my eyes. A thick layer of my soul is darkened slightly. I can still feel the witch magic strongly…too strongly to survive in Death City with so many Shibusen students and teachers running around.

Another layer then. "Soul Protect, Level 2." The layer thickens, but it still doesn't conceal the witch aura enough. "Three levels for three souls…Soul Protect Level 3." Again, it thickens and I nod slightly. "Great."


	2. Back at Home

**Episode 1: Back at Home…Death's Symmetry?**

I stop in front of the door of the house and take a deep breath.

"Home at last…" I locate the spare key and pause. I should knock first. I rap lightly on the door. No one answers, even after a few minutes.

"Are you looking for Kisa-kun?" I turn abruptly to the voice and stare at the person there. Red hair…laid back expression…

"Spirit-san?" The man blinks and examines me.

"Renka?" I wince, but nod once.

"Yes…" Abruptly, he hugs me tightly.

"We were all so worried about you when you and Sora disappeared! Where is she?" I push him away and roll the key in my hand.

"Dead…um…are my parents out on a job?" Spirit-san looks down, shaking his head.

"No…they died in battle with a witch a few months ago." I stare at him dumbly, dropping the key. Spirit-san picks the key up and sighs. "Are you hungry? I'm not that good a cook, but the cabaret has some pretty good food." I snap out of it and shake my head.

"I'm fine. I'll just…go inside…" I take the key from him and turn to the door. "Um…Spirit-san?"

"Hm?" I stick the key into the doorknob and sigh.

"Did they at least kill the witch?"

"No…but she was pretty badly injured. It's impossible to come out of a battle with a copycat without major injury." I nod once and turn the key, unlocking the door.

"That's good. Well, I'll see you around."

"You should come to Shibusen. There aren't any copycats left, but I'll bet someone…"

"I don't need a weapon." I open the door and go inside. "And by the way…this is the last time I'll answer to my old name. It's Kiren now." I close and lock the door, pulling the chain closed and ensuring there is no way into the house.

I turn and look around the living room. It's pretty dusty, and the furniture is covered with white sheets, but it's the same setup I remember. I go to my old bedroom and stare at the faded pink furnishings and decorations. I shake my head and grab an old friend from the bed. "Long time no see, Koneko-chan."

I squeeze the stuffed black cat to my chest and sit on the old bed. The springs creak under my weight and I throw myself back onto it. It still smells like the vanilla room spray I used to use in here. I sit up and take a second look at the room. A second bed is in here, and the side of the room that one occupies is decorated like the sunset sky, pinks and blues and purples all over.

Well, the entire room is like that now that I examine it. They probably moved Sora's things into this room as a sort of shrine to the two of us to make room for guests in the other room…I get up, still holding the plush cat, and leave the room, heading for Sora's old room. The room is decorated in shades of green with a single bed and bedside table, obviously a guest room.

I nod slightly and leave the room, heading for my parent's room. Their giant four poster bed doesn't seem so huge now that I'm older and closer to their sizes. I go to the closet and laugh slightly. All of their clothes are still in here. I touch one of Dad's shirts and smell it. It still smells like him.

Mom's clothes are the same. I pull a dress down and hold it up to myself in front of the mirror. It looks like it might fit me. These clothes stink of witch magic. I change into the dress and smile slightly at the resulting image in the mirror. I don't remember Mom ever wearing anything this style, but it smells like her. And it fits me perfectly.

This dress is too dark for my mom's sunny personality, all black with a zip in the front corset on the bodice and the skirt puffy enough to hide a bird cage under. I turn to look at my back and stumble. "What the heck?" I catch myself on the closet door and concentrate. It must be the three layers of Soul Protect I'm having to keep up.

I look at the stuffed cat I set down and think of something. Anchoring the spell to something physical will eliminate the problem of using energy to keep it up. I'll just have to carry it with me all the time. One layer to a plush. I nod slightly and grab the cat.

I run to my old room and find three keychain figures. Three types of cat, a black cat, a white tiger, and a leopard. The three of them are pretty big for keychain toys…but it'll work. And if I anchor the majority of the witch magic I've learned to 'Koneko-chan', it will be easier to handle myself. I nod to myself and start to work.

* * *

><p>Death City is so peaceful at night…I really missed this.<p>

"Patty! You're too far to the left!" I turn a corner and see a group of three people standing at the entrance to an alley, a thief cornered at the other end. The group of three is a boy with black hair—with three horizontal stripes on one side of his head—a tall girl with long blond hair and another girl that's shorter, also blond. Both girls are wearing cowboy hats and outfits, while the boy is wearing a suit. The thief at the end of the alley heads down a manhole while the boy suddenly starts sulking.

"Excuse me…" These guys are probably Shibusen students…and that thief must have been their target to gather a pre-Kisshin soul. I shrug to myself and run down the alley, dropping into the manhole after the thief. "Cat Ear Mode." I curl my hands as claws appear along with the rest of that form.

I spot the thief and grab him with my tail. "Sorry, but you can't run away." I go back to the street level and pause.

"Understood, Father." The image in front of me disappears suddenly and the group from before stares at me.

"Where'd you come from?" I sigh.

"I was walking by and saw this guy escape from you. Figured you were from Shibusen, so I thought I'd help out." I toss the guy towards them and keep my tail around his ankle.

"Are you a weapon?" I shrug.

"That depends on how you look at it. I'm Kiren." The shorter blond grins and bounces over to me.

"I'm Patty! That's my sister Liz and that guy's Death the Kid!" I laugh slightly at her boisterousness.

"Nice to meet you." I sigh and start walking out of the alley, releasing the guy. "I should be getting home." The guy steps in front of me.

"We could walk you home. As a thanks for helping out." I shake my head.

"Nah…thanks though. I've got claws harder than diamonds over here, no one's gonna mess with me. Though…" I turn to Liz and Patty. "What kind of weapons are you two?"

"Guns." I nod slowly.

"Interesting. I've never met guns before. Well, I'll see you around. Do you go to Shibusen?"

"No." I nod again.

"Well then…hm. I'm not surprised by that. You're Shinigami-sama's son, correct?" Death the Kid nods slightly, confused.

"How'd you know that?" I smirk.

"Maybe I'll tell you next time." With that, I turn and walk back to the house.

"Wait up!" I turn to face the two girls.

"What?"

"Look, we're going to Egypt tomorrow for a job. You want to come help out? Kid's useless if he gets distracted by anything non-symmetrical…" I raise an eyebrow.

"Is that why he was sulking and let the target get away?" Both nod. "That's stupid. Getting distracted can get you killed." I sigh. I'm a sucker for protecting people that need it. "Okay, I'll go. When are you leaving?"

"In the morning, as soon as Kid finishes making sure everything in the house is perfectly symmetrical…"

"Symmetry? That's a pretty silly obsession." I sigh and turn. "I'll see you guys in the morning." I start walking again.

"Here's hoping he doesn't freak out when he realizes that she's out of balance…" I laugh to myself. This should be interesting. I get to the house and go inside. There isn't anything in the cabinets except dust, so I just won't worry about eating. I head to my old room and pause.

I'm too tall for that bed now…I sigh and head to my parent's room.

"Sorry, but I'm going to use your bed from now on." I walk to the dresser and look for a set of pajamas. I find a set and change into it. "It's surprising how easily I fit into these clothes…almost like someone situated it for me." I go to the closet and frown. All of my parent's clothes are gone.

The clothes in here match my personality perfectly…all black and whimsical. Who did this? I spot a piece of paper and pick it up.

'_Renka-chan, since you're back and all, Shinigami-sama and I wanted to set you up. Sorry I didn't get food in the cabinets yet. –Spirit.'_ I crumple the note and locate a trash can.

"Idiot."

* * *

><p>"Good morning!" I wave at Liz and Patty and they grin.<p>

"You made it!" I smile slightly and turn to their partner.

"Good morning, Kid-kun."

"What are you doing here? And so mismatched! Why are there three animals on one side and none on the other?" I sigh.

"There are three. I can't quite put them on either side evenly."

"Then carry four!" I frown and clench my fist.


	3. The Pyramid of Anubis

**Episode 2: The Pyramid of Anubis…The Symmetry Gets in the Way?**

"You wanna piss me off? Cuz I don't deal with my anger very well…" Liz and Patty react to the tension differently. Liz tries to ease the tension, while Patty just laughs. I sigh and pull Koneko off of my back—I turned her into a backpack. Methodically, I clip one cat to Koneko's zipper and move another to my other hip. I also brush my hair down and part it in the middle.

I grin. "This is as good as it's gonna get. I'm not as rude as I act sometimes. I don't like antagonizing allies." I extend a hand and he takes it.

"Are you coming with us then?" I nod slightly.

"Liz and Patty asked me to. Just got to Death City, so I want to make friends." I smile slightly and back up. "Well…if we're going to Egypt, we should head out."

"How are you getting there?" I smirk and hold out a hand. A skateboard appears and I laugh slightly.

"So this is your mode of transportation? Can't say I'm surprised."

"How did…?" I step onto the board and grin.

"I'm a Copycat. When I shook your hand, the spell you were about to use was just begging to be copied. And I can't use any levitation spells yet."

"Witch magic?" I shake my head.

"Nope. Have you never heard of a Copycat before?" Kid shakes his head.

"No…" I sigh.

"Let's head for Egypt. If conditions permit, I'll give you a bit of warning on my abilities." Kid nods and a skateboard appears in front of him. Liz and Patty turn into guns and I sigh. "Guns…one of the few weapon types I haven't gotten yet…"

"What?" I shake my head.

"Sorry. Talking to myself. I do that sometimes." We start flying towards Egypt and I sigh.

"About your abilities…if you're going to work with us, I'll need to know as much as you can tell me." I nod slightly.

"I'm a Copycat. All I have to do is touch someone and I can copy any abilities they have. With witches, if they use a spell on me, I can immediately use the same spell. Weapons, I can duplicate."

"What particular weapons do you use?"

"Enough." We finish the trip in silence and land in front of a pyramid.

"Beautiful! Such perfect symmetry!" Liz and Patty appear and stretch.

"Man…being in weapon form for such a long time makes my back hurt…"

"It's really dusty…" I sigh and go inside.

"You can admire the symmetry after we finish here, Kid-kun! Let's go!" The others follow me and I sigh. Everything in here is perfectly symmetrical…Kid's gonna get seriously on my nerves if he spends the entire time in here admiring it out loud.

"The inside is perfect as well!" Here we go…I sigh and take the lead.

"What exactly are we after here?"

"Some witch is taking human souls and turning them into zombie mummies. We're supposed to stop her." I nod slowly.

"Sounds…Kid-kun, do you sense that?"

"What?" I sigh.

"You're useless…I sense two souls in the depths…along with a lot of others…probably mummies."

"I wonder…the picture in the foyer…I think it may be off center to the right…"

"This isn't the time to worry about that!" Liz grabs Kid's collar before he can run out of the pyramid. "You can check it when we get home!"

"I can't stop worrying about it…" I sigh and keep walking. A moan fills the corridor and Liz clings to her sister, releasing Kid. I shake my head and lift a hand.

"Illuminator." Light fills the area and the two girls scream. A large group of mummies is blocking our path.

"Kid-kun!" We all look at the space he was occupying before. He's missing, but a note is in his place. Liz reads it and screams angrily. "Kiren-san." I smirk.

"I know how to use guns." Both girls nod and change forms. I catch them both and start shooting. I frown. "I know a quicker way…can you two switch out and use each other?"

"What do you think we are? Idiots?" I laugh slightly and release them. Liz appears and catches her sister. A chain scythe appears in my hand and I swirl it slightly.

"You may want to duck." Liz nods and crouches, shooting nearby mummies. I cut several in half by swinging my weapon around.

"Patty, switch." The two switch and Patty sticks Liz right into a mummy's mouth. "Don't put me in its mouth!"

"Sorry." I roll my eyes and switch weapon types. A short ninja sword appears in my hand and I run into the fray of mummies, cutting them with quick strikes. It doesn't take long for us to finish off the mummies and the girls to return to their human forms. We all count the souls and I mentally split them between the three of us.

"There aren't enough to split evenly between the three of us…you two take them." Patty frowns.

"But…you did a lot of the work…" I shrug.

"Doesn't matter. Let's just get these gathered and move on. If we stay here and wait for Kid-kun to get back, we can get attacked again."

"Right." The two girls start splitting the souls between each other.

* * *

><p>"Got it…" I nod slightly to Liz and Patty.<p>

"The witch's soul is gone. And the second soul is much stronger. My guess is that the second soul was the Pharaoh. He probably consumed her. We should be careful as we get closer to the inner chambers." The two girls nod and Liz suddenly cowers behind me.

"You hear that right?" I sigh.

"It's okay…" We continue down the path and the muttering I hear gets louder. "Great…" White strips of fabric fly out of a room and grab all three of us. Liz and Patty both scream and I black out.

* * *

><p>"You have four souls…how is that?" I swallow and look around. It's pitch black.<p>

"I ate three witches and absorbed a weapon friend to protect her! You have a problem with that?" The only response is laughter.

"You're a Kisa Witch then…" I frown.

"I'm no witch! The Kisa Witches died with my grandmother!" The laughter surrounds me and I cover my ears.

"You can lie to yourself…but you're just like your mother…a witch trying to be a weapon master…"

"No…shut up!"

* * *

><p>"Sorry to interrupt." I open my eyes and stare at Kid. He starts to walk out and I realize where I am.<p>

"Shit…" I close my eyes. "Bind…Disintegrate." The bandages holding me in place disappear and I turn to face Kid. "You'd better not run out of here like some idiot, Kid. Those girls need your help."

"Right. Liz, Patty!" I sigh.

"These bandages are blocking our power!" Kid looks at me.

"If that's the case…?"

"They drain the power of a weapon, not a witch." I turn to face the sarcophagus before he can respond. "Get them out of that and let's take care of the Pharaoh before you say anything about that." He nods once and uses his skateboard to cut the girls loose. They transform and he catches them. An attack comes from the sarcophagus and he hesitates.

"Kid!"

"Snap out of it!" I look at the sarcophagus and sigh. It's perfectly symmetrical…so he'll be pretty much useless, not wanting to destroy it. I shake my head and dodge out of the way when an attack comes my way.

"Damn your obsession with symmetry, Kid!"

'_Witch…Witch…witch…witch…'_ I shake my head.

"I am _not_ a witch! So quit _calling me that_!" And yet…I'm about to release a level of Soul Protect in order to save Kid and the girls. I clench my fists and pull the animal off of my backpack. "Hang in there, Kid…Soul Protect Level One…RELEASE!" The animal disappears and I feel the layer of sealing vanish with it.

A scythe appears in my hands and I grip it. "You want to see Kisa magic…you'll see it with your dying breath!" I spin the scythe and hold the blade behind me. "Witch Seal…Barrier Eliminator." The scythe blade expands and glows black. I run forward and cut through the sarcophagus. A loud groan fills the room and I jump back, changing the scythe into a katana.

I stop beside Kid and pull him up. "Get it together, Kid. I don't wanna have to carry you all the way back to Death City." I look up at a sound and stare at the thing that comes out of the destroyed sarcophagus. One eye…out of balance decorations…he's dead.

"You…you're the most disgusting thing I've ever seen! Those decorations are completely unnecessary!" Kid starts shooting the Pharaoh mercilessly and I sigh, holding out a hand and letting my sword disappear.

"Soul Protect…" The stuffed animal reappears in my hand and I smile slightly. "Level One, Seal." The animal glows for a moment and I clip it back onto my backpack. I cross my arms and wait for Kid to finish. He does and the only thing left is the Pharaoh's soul and the only symmetrical thing about the creature, a small ornament from its forehead.


	4. Notice

**HIATUS/REWRITE NOTICE**

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! Rewrite Notice !

Because I have been improving my writing style and I am dissatisfied with the current state of the following stories:

Cherry Blossom's Late Bloom, Dark Blade, Digital Dream, Eagle Spark, Emily and the Olympians (To be retitled 'Raising a Hero'), Lost in Spira (To be retitled 'The Secret Summoner'), Narissa and the Olympians (To be retitled 'Unwilling Hero'), Sword Transcending Time (To be retitled 'Queen Blades'), Tsubasa no Tenshi Angel Wings (To be retitled 'Tenshi no Tsubasa o'), Yuuki's Story

I'm rewriting them from almost scratch. I am also re-playing/reading/watching the series this is based on so as to be more accurate in non-au situations.

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! Hiatus Notice !

Because I'm either rewriting the story or it's on my hard drive that is currently out of commission, all of my stories except completed stories and:

Tails of a Copy Cat

Are on hiatus until further notice. I promise that I will have my hard drive fixed as soon as possible so I can get back to work on my older stories.

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! THIS CHAPTER WILL BE DELETED WHEN I ADD NEW CONTENT !


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